


Summer Thing

by fizzyblogic (phizzle)



Category: Baby-Sitters Club - Ann M. Martin
Genre: M/M, WIP Amnesty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-20
Updated: 2011-04-20
Packaged: 2017-11-14 16:27:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/517288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phizzle/pseuds/fizzyblogic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jeff and Dawn visit their mom for the summer.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Summer Thing

Jeff and Dawn visit their mom for the summer, because Jeff can stand the East Coast when it’s at least vaguely warm and Dawn’s going to college in Boston. So is Mary Anne. The two of them plan a few weekend trips, to check out the areas of the city, and Jeff is glad they don’t invite him along. He hasn’t been there since their family trip, and he has no intention of repeating the experience.

So Jeff’s hanging around Stoneybrook while everyone else is at work (Dawn even found a job, she’s just brilliant like that). There’s a few of his old friends he sort of wants to look up, but every time he thinks back to being a stupid, messed-up brat last time he knew them, he gets too embarrassed.

“They won’t care,” Dawn says, because of course she gets it out of him within a week. “They were probably all a bunch of brats too, Jeff. It’s not just you who was ten.”

“Yeah, but what am I meant to say? Hi, I haven’t seen you for five years, but I was the kid who kept being snooty about your town and your coast and now I’m not but oh hey I’m also gay, how’ve you been?”

Dawn sighs and shakes her head. “Maybe don’t lead with ‘I was a jerk’ and then come out. It‘s a bit much all at once.”

Jeff throws a pillow at her head.

In the end, he takes a deep breath and walks over to the Pikes’ house. Of all his old Connecticut friends, the triplets are the only ones he wasn‘t a jerk to, and who still wanted to hang out with him after he moved home. Maybe they can throw a ball around and talk about life. And maybe they’ll all talk about girls and Jeff will have to just nod along, but whatever. It’ll be like being at home, with his buddies, except not on the beach. He rings the doorbell.

Mallory answers the door, hair slipping out from behind her ear, and the smile she tries to give tells Jeff everything he needs to know. Suddenly he remembers exactly what it’s like being at the Pike house. “Jeff,” she says, and her voice is tired but warm. “Did you want to see the triplets?”

“Yeah, are they around?” He gives her his brightest smile.

“Somewhere,” she gestures behind her. “I think they’re in the backyard.”

“Hey, are you okay?” he asks, because she’s started swaying.

“Yeah, just.” She steadies herself on the door frame. “Sorry. I didn’t sleep well, Claire and Margo were up all night. They thought there were monsters in the pipes.”

Jeff raises an eyebrow. “Aren’t they a bit old for monsters?”

Mallory laughs. “Claire will never be too old for monsters. Oh, shoot, where are my manners - come in, sorry, yeah, come through.” She steps aside and Jeff follows her indoors.

“Is everything okay here? You’re not in charge, are you?” He hopes there’s not too many little ones home, Mal looks dead on her feet.

“Yeah, but it’s okay. Nearly everyone’s out.” She’s swaying again.

Jeff shakes his head. “You, upstairs, now. Oh no wait, tell me where everyone is, and then go upstairs. I’ll make the triplets be in charge. You have to nap.”

“No, I -” Mallory sags. “Claire and Margo are in the den. I think they’re building a rocket out of Lego. Adam, Byron, Jordan, they’re outside. Vanessa’s at a friend’s house, Nicky’s at camp.” She leads Jeff to the back door, opens it, and yells out, “Jeff Schafer is here to see you.” She smiles at him and heads towards the stairs.

Jeff makes sure she does, in fact, go up them. He’s about to go check on Claire and Margo when he’s suddenly accosted from behind. A dead weight is on his back, arms flung around him, as a voice shouts in his ear, “Where have you _been_ , asswipe?”

“Get off me,” Jeff grins. Another triplet whumps into him from the side, and he laughs. “Okay okay, I give up, I was in California, why didn’t you jerks come and visit me?”

“You think our parents have enough money to send us to the West Coast?” the one on his back laughs into his ear.

“They have eight kids to send to college,” another of them says from further behind him.

“Come on, let’s take this loser outside,” the triplet attached to his side says. The two on him start to move him, but he tries to stand his ground.

“I sent Mal upstairs to nap, you guys have to check on your little sisters,” he protests.

“Byron,” the one on his side says, “go check on the babies.” Neither of the ones on Jeff move, but he hears the other open the door to the den, so these must be Adam and Jordan.

“Right,” the one at his back says, “march!” And, not taking their arms from around Jeff’s body, they march him outside into the sunshine.

Once they’re out there, they let go, and Jeff turns to greet them with arm punches. He’s relieved to realise that he can still tell them apart. “Jordan,” he grins, “what the hell did you do to your hair?”

“Shut up, blondie,” Jordan grins back.

“So what’s been going on with you guys?” Jeff asks, as Adam picks a football up from the grass.

“Oh, you know, stuff,” Adam shrugs.

“I made the SHS football team,” Jordan says.

“I made the basketball team,” Adam nods.

“Byron came out,” Jordan adds.

Jeff’s eyes go huge. “Wait, he what?”

“Oh shit, did Dawn not tell you? I thought Mal told her. Uh, yeah, I probably should have let him tell you himself. It was sort of this whole … thing, he was seen making out with a guy and then the whole town knew. Don’t be hard on him, okay? He’s had enough of that.”

“No, no, I won’t be. I uh. Actually, I’m gay too. I’m not out, not at school, but my family know.”

“Oh,” says a voice behind him. “Well, be careful. Being outed sucks.”

Jeff turns, and sees Byron, and - oh. Well. See, Adam and Jordan are good-looking, in the sort of way that a lot of athletic guys are, but Jeff isn’t attracted to them. Byron, on the other hand, isn’t athletic. He’s exactly Jeff’s type; gorgeous in an unassuming way, with really nice eyes. He’s even wearing glasses.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
I didn't really have any plans for this, so I'll just notfic out what I'd probably have ended up writing. So okay, Byron and Jeff talk a bit about being gay and being in at school vs being forcibly outed. Adam and Jordan don't really say much during this conversation, they all just go back to the baseball practice they'd been having. (Jeff joins in as they talk.) Anyway, they hang out, talk about what they're watching on TV and stuff. (I did say I didn't have any plans for this one, okay, I'm just riffing. It would've been awesome and nuanced if my brain weren't foggy all the time.) There's a few awkward little moments because Adam and Jordan are jocks and they're cool with their brother being gay, they've had time to adjust, but their childhood best friend showing up and coming out has caught them off-guard a little. Anyway, they do talk about girls, to which Jeff and Byron just listen and nod along, but that's not bad.

Jeff and the triplets end up hanging a lot. Jeff gets over his 'I was a jerk' embarrassment and hangs out with other kids he knew when he was ten, and most days a big group of them get together to play basketball or baseball or go swimming or wander around the brook fishing and stuff. Jeff and Byron spend a lot of time together, and Jeff keeps telling himself it's because they get on and they're getting closer, thus wanting to spend more time together as friends, just as _friends_ , because he's convinced Byron isn't interested. It's not until Adam flicks the side of his head and tells him to quit being an idiot and ask his brother out already that Jeff realises he doesn't have this huge unrequited crush; that he does, in fact, have a huge _requited_ crush. There follows much awkwardness and kissing and rarely getting to be alone together, but they spend as much time as possible with each other and hold hands and make out and it is the _best summer ever_.


End file.
